Candidates sign peace pact in Escalante City

BACOLOD CITY, March 27 (PNA) — Electoral candidates running for various positions in the City of Escalante in Negros Occidental signed a peace covenant on Wednesday to ensure peaceful mid-term election.

First to sign are re-electionist City Mayor Melecio “Beboy” Yap of the Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition and his rival former city mayor Santiago “Maymay” Barcelona of the United Negros Alliance.

Vice mayoralty candidates Aladino Lumayno Jr. of the United Negros Alliance and Santiago Maravillas of the Liberal Party will also expressed their support for fraud-free election.

Majority of the 25 candidates running for city councilors also signed the covenant held in Escalante City Elementary School.

The signing of peace pact in Escalante City is in addition to 27 peace covenants signed in various locations in the province.

The peace covenant is a joint project of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

It is aimed to solicit the commitment of political candidates to support the goal of Secured and Fair Elections(SAFE)
2013.

Earlier this year, Escalante City has been included in the list of election watchlist areas due to presence of private armed groups and intense political rivalry.

Yap vehemently opposed the inclusion of the city in election watchlist and challenged the leadership of Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office to name the private armed groups. (PNA)